tomorrow, phone the plumber

[incandescens]

Things to do tomorrow: phone plumber.

Why, you ask, do I want to phone a plumber?

Well, gentle reader, your author noticed at lunch today that her kitchen sink was draining very slowly indeed. She had thought over the last couple of weeks that the drainage had been slower than usual, but it is difficult to measure these things with the naked eye. She attempted pouring boiling water down it, but there was no visible effect. That is, the boiling water didn't drain any faster either.

Come suppertime, and after supper, washing up the dishes, the drainage seemed near nonexistent.

Then (and you might say, o gentle reader, that she should have known better) your author decided to run the usual Saturday night clothes wash anyhow, once the sink had finally emptied. Now to make the matter clearer, we must establish that the washing machine is right next to the sink, and their pipes are somehow intermingled (though, o gentle reader, your author is not an expert in the subject).

Fortunately for the kitchen, your author had gone in there to get some more coffee at about the time that the machine was doing the spin cycle, and noticed an upsettingly large amount of dubiously coloured water, with occasional flakes of dark matter, rising in the sink. Your author indulged in bad language while doing some rapid bailing into the washing-up bowl and dumping the water into the loo. This took several trips.

Your author would rather not speculate about if she'd been out of the kitchen for much longer. Perhaps it wouldn't have risen much higher. But she'd rather not find out the hard way.

So tomorrow your author must phone the plumber.

I suppose I should be grateful it's Sunday - even if I will no doubt end up paying more, at least I won't be in the "must stay home from work for unspecified amount of time while waiting for plumber to show up" situation. Hopefully it's just a straight blockage, and it's in an area that the plumber can easily reach. Fingers crossed.

I'd better also pencil in a trip to buy a new washing-up bowl. Or seriously scrub out the old one.

Comments

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Remember that bit in The Madness of Angels when a great greasy glob of drain waste goes after Matthew? Yeah. That's what it is, probably abetted by cast-off hair. Have had this myself, but in my case it flooded the kitchen floor. Snaking should clean the thing up pronto.

OTOH plumbers come on Sundays in the UK? Let me move there at once!

[incandescens]

Well, a plumber is theoretically coming. He ain't here yet.

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

I am concerned my refrigerator is leaking. Let us join together in domestic suffering.

[incandescens]

Why do things not work?!

[cat-i-th-adage.livejournal.com]

At least it wasn't the loo...

[incandescens]

(winces) Good point.

[liralen.livejournal.com]

I am very very grateful that you got to the kitchen when you did. Whew. Good luck with the Sunday plumber!

[incandescens]

So was I! Thanks. I'm currently waiting and crossing my fingers.

[amethyst-hunter.livejournal.com]

Temporary fix until the plumber comes:

Boil water and add about 1 tbs. of salt to it. Pour this (slowly - it might come back up at you!) down the drain. Most drain clogs in the kitchen are because of grease buildup (or so I'm told); the hot water melts that while the salt speeds up the rate at which it dissolves.

Alternatively, if they sell it in your area, pour a cup of Nature's Miracle Stain & Odor Remover into the drain. This won't work as fast as the saltwater trick, but it will help to 'maintain' the drain and keep clear any mold or mildew, which can also clog. (the enzymes in the product are what work)

Good luck and hope the problem is fixed soon! :)

[incandescens]

I tried boiling water on Saturday, but I'm afraid it didn't get anywhere. I don't recognise the name of the NMS&OR, but I'll have a look for it next time I'm in the shops. Thank you!